Mahindra KUV100 NXT Hatchback Overview & Performance

It was in early 2016 when Mahindra introduced the KUV100 to all of us. The KUV100 stood out as a unique offering because of its quirky styling and the 6-seater configuration. However, the vehicle did have some flaws and that is why this version has been launched in less than 2 years of the car’s arrival in the market. The Mahindra KUV100 NXT is a mid-life update to the vehicle where a lot of issues have been ironed out and the package has been made a wee bit sweeter with some interesting additions. For information on contact details of Mahindra car dealers in Hyderabad

Mahindra KUV100 NXT Exterior & Style

The KUV100 which stands for Kool Utility Vehicle One Double-Oh was originally launched in January 2016 and had good exterior styling to begin with. However, where it was left wanting a little was detail that can grab attention from all quarters. On the KUV100 NXT this comes in the form of a sporty, more muscular look. Up front is now a more aggressive grille that also extends lower with its incisor-like chrome slats. This remedies the plain looking top half of the older KUV100 bumper. The NXT bumper now has a more resolved look, thanks to the honeycomb-pattern black grille surrounded by more pronounced fog lamp bezels in body colour. At the bottom of the front and rear bumpers is a silver faux bash plate.The sunglass-style wraparound headlamps get the house treatment too, with dual chambers for the low and high beam units. The stem of the left headlamp features KUV100 NXT badging, while the right sports mFalcon badging. Red highlights from the older KUV100 have now been replaced with chrome details. Move to the side, and the KUV100 NXT has a more visually-balanced look than its predecessor with the front bumper extension reduced, and the rear extended a tad bit. This change results in the KUV100 NXT gaining 25mm in length over the older KUV100 at 3,700mm.

Thicker plastic cladding runs around the flared wheel arches and the bottom edge of the NXT, which also gets new 15-inch two-tone diamond cut alloy wheels. Three new two-tone colour options feature a black roof and pillars, in keeping with which the C-pillar mounted rear door handle is now black to enhance the two-door look.The electrically-adjustable rear-view mirrors now also sport integrated side indicators. Move to the rear, and the clear lens double-barrel LED taillamps are the first thing to catch your eye. The new roof mounted spoiler also wraps around the rear windshield better. The NXT ‘evoques’ the feeling of larger international offerings now, especially from the side, albeit in a pocket-friendly size.

Mahindra KUV100 NXT Interior & Space

The changes inside aren’t extensive either but the new layout immediately looks classier. To begin with, instead of the old dual tone colour scheme, the KUV100 NXT sports an all-black theme. The dark interior palette extends to the seats as well, which also use a new fabric pattern. Prudent to note that the all-black layout is only offered in the top-spec K8 variant, which we feel should have been offered as standard.The KUV100 NXT comes with a 6-seater arrangement as standard, while the 5-seater can be availed of on a made-to-order basis. Frankly speaking, though, the middle front seat shouldn’t be used even for children. The centre console and handbrake lever leave negligible knee room here and apart from being uncomfortable, it’s also unsafe, even though there is a lap belt. However, the middle seat doubles up as what is possibly the largest armrest known to man. It’s very comfortable to use for both front occupants and operating the gear lever is no hassle either.Then there’s the new AC console. It’s still a manual air-conditioner but the chunky old dials have been dropped in favour of a cleaner electronic setup. There is just one dial to control the fan speed now and Mahindra says the new setup has helped reduce the wiring complexity too.

The steering is a simple three-spoke unit that gets some silver highlights and controls to manage the sound system and calls. The switch quality in particular isn’t too great, it feels cheap and plasticky. It’s a similar story for the stalks behind the steering wheel – not the best quality Mahindra could’ve used. The steering wheel can be adjusted for rake, but not for reach.The rest of the cabin remains largely the same and is still quite spacious. Seating two 6 footers one behind the other is easy. The space utilisation is impressive with adequate knee room and headroom offered in the front and back. Seating three at the rear is also possible. However, the occupants will sit with their shoulders touching each other. The older model did offer adjustable rear head restraints for all three rear occupants, which was a segment first. Sadly, that has been dropped and the middle occupant doesn’t get a head restraint at all anymore.Storage spots in the cabin are well thought out. There are 1-litre bottle holders in all the doors, a well-sized and cooled glovebox, a storage space with a removable bin under the co-driver’s seat, and even the rear under seat + under floor storage where you can hide precious items away from prying eyes. At 243-litres, the boot space is enough for a few duffle bags. With the rear seatback folded down you get 473-litres of storage space.

Mahindra KUV100 NXT Engine & Gearbox

1.2-litre petrol and diesel engines power the KUV100 NXT. These new engines are three-cylinder ones and they are the same when they were launched on the micro SUV. The petrol engine has decent power and is good enough for daily usage. However, it has some amount of vibrations at low engine speeds, which means it will miss out on the refinement. These are felt the most when you are waiting on a red light. There has been some improvements in the NVH of the petrol engine and it seems a tad better than before.

The diesel engine was always good, but the biggest let down was its hard clutch. From all the product presentations we have gone through it doesn’t say a word about it. No other reviewer would have noticed this, but your clutch has now become a lot lighter. Before driving in traffic meant your clutch becoming hard and making it difficult to drive on a daily basis. This issue has been taken care of. The company claims to have reduced the diesel clatter too with better insulation. We aren’t certain of that. When you begin to drive this engine, you will not feel at any point that this is just a 1.2-litre engine. It is peppy and it has the punch even at low engine speeds. This makes it drivable too.Mahindra KUV100 NXT tail lampKitna deti hai? Our favourite question. The petrol engine returns about 11-12km/l in the city and out on the highway it goes up to 15km/l. On the other hand, the diesel engine will return close to 15km/l in the city and the number jumps up to 19km/l on the highway. These are the real world figures.

Mahindra KUV100 NXT Driving Dynamics

Now, the biggest perception – it has high ground clearance, it made by an Indian company. Body roll! The Mahindra KUV100 NXT has a short wheelbase vis-a-vis its height. Hence, the suspension will have to be a tad stiff. This is for better handling. There is some amount of body roll, but let us remember that this vehicle hasn’t been built for track, at the most to be driven on winding roads. This SUV has good enough stability and ideal for daily city use. It is meant to go smoothly on bad roads and have a pliant ride. Despite the stiff suspension it does a neat job. Most of the road jolts are ironed out, else you encounter broken roads. This is where it changes completely. The vehicle needs to have good enough ride and it does in most of the cases.Now, the biggest asset of the Mahindra KUV100 NXT is its ground clearance. You don’t only have high clearance but you even sit high in a commanding position. This makes it a good view and comfortable to drive in the city. This is what other vehicles in this price miss out. The KUV has more than sufficient clearance to drive even on a bad road. The steering feedback is good enough but the vehicle doesn’t feel confident after 120km/hr.

Mahindra KUV100 NXT Safety & Seurity

The Mahindra KUV100 NXT comes available with dual airbags on the plus variants in the entry and mid-level along with the range topping variant. Other safety features available on the KUV100 NXT are child safety locks on the rear doors, anti-slip clips for driver side door mats, ISOFIX child seat mount on rear seat, engine immobiliser, anti-theft security alarm, automatic hazard warning lamps on crash and speed sensing automatic door locks. Mahindra has spared no expense to make the KUV100 NXT stand out amongst the crowd and which is why you see it filled to the brim with features. Among the various features incorporated outside and inside here are a few notable ones worth a mention. On the outside the KUV100 NXT gets follow me home head lamps and lead me to home head lamps, head lights height adjuster, rear wiper, rear defogger and manually adjustable ORVMs. The cabin gets a 12V power outlet, door pockets, 1 litre bottle holder in all doors, interiors rear view mirror, rear parcel tray, LED interior lamp etc

For this NXT update, Mahindra has revamped the trim nomenclature. The base K2 diesel starts at Rs 5.39 lakh ex-showroom Mumbai, moving on to Rs 7.33 lakh for the top-spec K8 diesel. What is really commendable is that prices for the K2, K2+ and K4+ models have actually gone down despite offering more features, while those for the K6+ and K8 have gone up only marginally.The KUV100 is far from Mahindra’s most popular model. However, it’s quite a cute looking little thing that drives reasonably well, and even manages to undercut quite a few mid-level hatchbacks in terms of pricing. Not bad considering the amount of SUV-feel the car offers, if not actual SUV ability. And with the host of enhancements it now offers across the board, the KUV100 is certainly looking more interesting than ever before.